The concert opens with Brahms' Violin Concerto in D Major, a major work of the violin repertoire commissioned by the composer's friend, violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim. Finding the solo part too difficult, Joachim rewrote it himself so that it better complimented his instrument. The musicians of the VFO then move on to another masterpiece of the classical repertoire, Berlioz's majestic Symphonie Fantastique. This landmark orchestral work signaled a turning point in early musical Romanticism, and was born of Berlioz's transformation of his frenzied love for the Irish actress Harriet Smithson.

Photo: © Aline Paley